Secrets of the dragon Sanctuary
by when the lights go out
Summary: My version of the next book. Warren finds the fifth secret preserve full summary inside! KENDRAxGAVIN Collab with the amazing Black Moon Falling
1. Summary

**A/N: I love this series. And since it's going to **

**Take forever for the next book comes out, I decided**

**To write my own version of **_Fablehaven and the _

_Secrets of the Drangon Sanctuary. _**Hope you like**

**It. **

**Xoxo_M**

**Summary:**

Warren finds the fifth secret preserve and wants to go explore it. He wants to take Kendra, Seth and Gavin with him. As well as Dale, Coulter and Stan. But the Society is keeping a close eye on all of them. Will the secret location to the fifth secret preserve be kept a mystery?


	2. Are you serious?

A/N: R&R! I love this series (:

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Brandon Mull does, **

**as much as I hate him for making me wait **

**soo long for the next book to come out! UGH!!**

**--&&&--**

Kendra Sorenson was sitting at a table in the dining room doing her Christmas Vacation homework so that she wouldn't have to do it later, when there was a knocking on at the door.

"I'll get it!" Kendra's mom said.

She opened the door and Gavin stepped inside.

"Hello Gavin, dear." She said.

"Hey Mrs. Sorenson. Is Kendra home?" Gavin asked.

"Yes. She's in the dining room." Mrs. Sorenson replied.

"Thanks." Gavin said and walked up to the dining room.

"Hey Kendra." Gavin said with a smile.

"Hey Gavin! Is it your turn to watch over me and Seth?" Kendra asked.

The previous summer Grandpa Sorenson told Kendra and her brother, Seth, that someone would always be there to keep an eye on them if the Society wanted to make a move on them since Kendra had such rare abilities.

"Y-y-y-yeah, I g-guess." Gavin stuttered.

"Your stuttering again, Gav, are you nervous?" Kendra asked teasingly.

"I, uh, hahaha…s-s-sort of." Gavin said.

"Why's that?" Kendra asked.

"Warren found out where the fifth secret preserve is." Gavin said.

".GOSH." Kendra gasped.

"Yeah. A-amaing isn't I-I-it?" Gavin said.

"YES!" Kendra said. "Do you know where it is?"

"No. Only Warren and Tanu knows where it is." Gavin said.

"Oh, so why did you come here to tell me that? I have to wait another half a year to go back to Fablehaven!" Kendra said.

"No you don't." Gavin replied.

"What are you talking about?" Kendra asked suspiciously.

"Stan w-w-wants to go visit the f-f-fifth preserve. And he w-w-w-wants you and Seth and me to g-go with him." Gavin said excitedly.

"How am I going to convince my parents to let me go back to 'Connecticut' to visit Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson?" Kendra asked. She put air quotes around Connecticut because they weren't going to actually Connecticut, instead, they were going to be taken to another place entirely.

"Tanu is coming over with that p-p-potion that he used on y-y-your parents last year when you wanted to extend your s-stay at Fablehaven." Gavin said.

"Cool. I'll start packing." Kendra said.

"What about Seth?" Gavin asked.

"He's in his room. Can you please go and fill him in on what we're doing?" Kendra asked.

"Yeah sure." Gavin said.

**--&&&--**

"Hurry up Seth!" Kendra yelled as and Coulter pulled up in they're driveway.

"Come one Seth! They're here already!" Gavin called.

"I'm coming!" Seth yelled from his room.

He came down the stairs carrying a bag full of clothes and his emergency kit.

"Seth," Tanu said. He had already given Kendra's parents the potion. "Do you really need all of that stuff?"

"Of course I do! What are you crazy?" Seth asked.

"Partially." Tanu laughed.

"Come on let's go!" Kendra said impatiently. "I can't wait to hear where the fifth secret preserve is!"

"Alright, alright. Get in the car." Tanu said as her grabbed everyone's bags.

**Well that chapter sort of sucked.**

**Hahaha. Oh well. The next one will be better. I promise!**

**Reviews please!**

**Xoxo_M**


	3. Patton's Secret

**A/N: I'll update this more often when**

**I finish Punk Rock. Til then, Enjoi. BTW.**

**i wrote this without using a spacebar or the letter 'N'**

**so it might be a little screwed up. Sorry.**

They seemed to be driving for ages. Tanu and Coulter sat in the front, while Kendra sat in the back, scrunched in between Seth and Gavin.

The car was silent.

"So, what do you guys know about the fifth preserve?" Kendra asked, breaking the silence.

"That it's not on this continent." replied Coulter.

"Anything else?" Kendra asked.

"It's in Asia." replied Tanu. "That's pretty much all we know."

"Does the Sphinx know?" Seth asked.

"Luckily, he doesn't know." Coulter replied.

"But that's only because no one except for Warren, and the caretakers of that preserve know where it is. And Warren won't say a thing." Coulter complained.

"How'd he find it?" Gavin asked.

"Honestly?" Coulter asked.

"We have no idea." Tanu laughed.

"Ugh, how much longer until we get back to Fablehaven?" Seth asked, obviously bored.

"About an hour or two." Tanu answered.

Seth sighed out of boredom.

"Why don't you play with my PSP Seth?" Gavin asked. "I just got Need for Speed Undercover."

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks." Seth replied.

**--&&&--**

"We're here!" Coulter said.

"Finally!" Seth said.

They all went into the house. Stan was waiting for them.

"So, do you guys want us to bring up your luggage kids?" Stan asked.

"No, we want to talk to Warren." Seth answered hastily.

Stan laughed.

"You''re gonna have to wait." Stan said. "Warren isn't home right 'll be back in about an hour."

"But we just drove like a few hours! I've been so excited! And now I have to wait!" Seth complained.

"Don't worry, Seth." Stan answered.

"Whatever."Seth answered, and marched up the stairs, carrying his stuff.

"Don't mind him Grandpa. He's just grumpy from sitting still for so long." Kendra laughed.

"Why don't we get your stuff put in your room, Kendra?" Tanu asked.

"Okay." Kendra replied. "Hey! Where's Grandma?"

"She's shopping for food." Grandpa answered.

"You sure she's not a chicken again?" Kendra asked.

Grandpa laughed. As did everyone else.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now why don't you bring your stuff up to the attic?" Stan asked.

"Okay." Kendra replied.

"I'll help!" Gavin said and took Kendra's bags.

"Thanks." Kendra blushed.

**--&&&--**

Kendra couldn't sleep. It was already an hour past midnight and still, Warren hadn't returened. She glanced at Seth's bed.

He was snoring.

_Well, atleast he's not awake. _Kendra thought to herself.

She got up and walked over to her bags to grab Patton's journal and a Umite candle. She brought it over to her bed and lit the candle. She got in the bed and started to read.

_I think that I may have discovered where the key is to one of the secret preserves. _

_Although, I do not believe that it is to any of the four I know of. Maybe, just maybe,_

_it might be the key to the fifth secret preserve. Every other secret preserve has their key._

_So this is a great possibility. The key is..................................................................._

**--&&&--**

**Cliff hanger! Don't hate me.**

**I'll update as soon as I can.**

**I Promise that the chapter will**

**be better. This one was sort of just a filler.**

**ALMOST MARCH 24TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE,LOVE FABLEHAVEN!!!!!**

**xoxo_M**


	4. It's the key

**A/N: Haven't updated in forever.**

**Sorry, I've been very busy. & I decided**

**That I didn't like that Gavin was Navarog**

**So I changed that to someone else (:**

**Trust me, this **_**will**_** be a good story.**

**New Obsession: Winnie the pooh.**

**--**

Flashback*

_She got up and walked over to her bags to grab Patton's journal and a Umite candle. She brought it over to her bed and lit the candle. She got in the bed and started to read._

_I think that I may have discovered where the key is to one of the secret preserves. _

_Although, I do not believe that it is to any of the four I know of. Maybe, just maybe,_

_it might be the key to the fifth secret preserve. Every other secret preserve has their key._

_So this is a great possibility. The key is..................................................................._

**End Flashback***

--

Kendra was sure that her mouth was open when she read where the key was.

"Oh…my…God!" She shouted.

"What?" Seth asked as he shot out of bed, thinking it was another night like last summer's festival night.

"I…sorry Seth. Go back to sleep." Kendra said.

"No way. You've probably got something good since your holding Patton's journal." Seth smirked.

"Go to sleep, Seth. I've got to talk to Warren." Kendra said.

"No, I'm coming with you." Seth said.

"I'll see if you can come with us if you stay in bed." Kendra offered.

Seth hesitated.

"Alright." He said. "But I better get to go!"

Kendra walked quickly down the stairs.

"Where's Warren?" Kendra asked Tanu, who was sitting in the living room.

"He just got back. He's in his shed." Tanu said. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, just…I wanted to see if he got back safely." Kendra said.

"okay." Tanu replied, looking at her suspiciously.

"Thanks, I'll be back soon." Kendra said.

Kendra ran to Warren's shed as fast as she could.

"Hey!" She shouted as she approached the shed.

"What's wrong?" Warren shouted as he opened the door to the shed.

"I need to talk to you!" She shouted.

"No, I'm not telling you where the preserve is." Warren said.

"I know where it is…I just…I have to talk to you now! I know more than you think about this. And I know where the ke-"

Warren put a hand over her mouth.

"Not here." He said. "It's not safe. You don't know whom to trust. Let's go back to the house and we'll discuss this." Warren said.

"Okay." Kendra replied.

They walked to the main house and gathered everyone around in the living room.

Everyone except Seth, who was 'sleeping like a baby' upstairs.

"So what's all this about?" Stan asked.

"I think that it's time we reveal where the preserve is." Warren said.

"Yes!" Coulter shouted.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" He said innocently. "I'm just curious!"

They laughed.

"Where is it?" Stan asked.

"Well…um…the less people who know, the better." Warren said.

"okay? What are you getting at?" Ruth asked.

"I think that we should only tell about three people in this room, since me and Kendra already know." Warren said.

"You told Kendra?" Ruth asked.

"No, she found out by herself. By the way Kendra, how did you find out?" Warren asked.

"Patton's journal." Kendra said.

"Ohhkayyy." Warren said. "Who are the other three that will know this information. Remember they have to be trustworthy, not saying that any of you are not."

"I nominate Grandma and Grandpa." Kendra said.

"Okay. I think that they would be a very good choice." Warren said.

"Which one of us should know?" Tanu asked, indicating him, Coulter and Gavin.

"I think that…Coulter should. No offense Tanu, but I've known Coulter for a very long time." Stan said.

"That's okay." Tanu said.

"Okay." Warren said. "Let's go talk."

They walked to a very secretive part of the house.

"Okay." Warren said as he sat in a chair. "The preserve is in Hong Kong."

"How did I not know this?" Stan asked.

"It is very well hidden." Warren said.

"I see." Stan said.

"And Kendra knows something about it's key that I didn't allow her to tell me outside." Warren said.

"What?" Coulter asked.

"I know where the key to the preserve is." Kendra said.

"Where is it?" Ruth asked.

"In a dragon sanctuary." Kendra said.

"Are you serious?" Coulter asked.

"Completely." Kendra answered.

Ruth looked at Kendra.

"Then this is going to be more trouble than you know, Kendra dear."

--

**Bah, this was like…a filler chapter.**

**Sorry that I haven't updated in forever.**

**But it's summer so I might update**

**More often! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	5. Trust Me

**A/N: Just so you know,  
I **_did_** read the book before  
writing the last chapter.  
And thanks for the reviews (:**

**SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN FOREVER!**

**And I will not be making Gavin Navarog. I simply love him too much and besides, I'm pretty Kendra would appreciate it if he wasn't.**

**And I'm sooo sooo sorry if I call Seth by a different name (Todd) but I keep getting confused by the two because I'm more into writing and reading the Clique books and the two little boys act the same and I think they're the same age.**

**BTW, Looking for a co-author/beta reader. PM or Review me.**

**. . .**

Kendra was packing her things.

She was told that they were leaving immediately for the dragon sanctuary to get the key before the Evening Star knew where it was yet.

Seth wasn't allowed to come, but you know how he always finds a way somehow.

Seth walked up behind Kendra.

"Do you know where Warren is?" Seth asked as he snuck up behind her.

"EEK!" Kendra shouted, "Oh my gosh Seth! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry." Seth said.

"Um, what did you say?" Kendra asked.

"Where's Warren?" Seth asked.

"His shed, I think." Kendra replied. "Why?"

"He wanted to talk to me about something." Seth answered.

"Okay." Kendra replied.

Kendra was wondering what Warren would want to talk to Seth about, but decided that it wasn't her business, so she decided to shrug it off.

Seth quickly navigated himself through his grandparent's rather large estate and reached Warren's shed. Warren spent most of his time there.

"Warren?" Seth called into the shed.

"I'm in here, Seth!" Warren replied.

Seth opened the door and walked in.

"So…what did you want to talk to me about, Warren?" Seth asked.

"I wanted to ask how you're going to sneak away with us." Warren replied without looking at Seth.

"W-what? I'm not going to sneak away with you." Seth stuttered.

"Come on, Seth. I know you better than that." Warren smirked.

"You're not going to tell Grandma and Grandpa, are you? They'll totally freak!" Seth exclaimed.

"Don't worry Seth." Warren replied. "I won't tell a soul."

Seth narrowed his eyes.

"Sure you won't. I'm not sneaking away…I'm just going to hang out here." Seth said.

"As if." Warren said.

"What do you mean, 'as if'?" Seth asked.

"Do you think that I believe you when you say that you aren't going to try and sneak away to a dragon sanctuary while your sister is going?" Warren smirked again.

"I…I wouldn't do that." Seth tried.

Warren chuckled.

"Don't worry, Seth. I was once an adventurous lad like you." Warren smiled.

"How do I know you're not a spy from my grandparents?" Seth asked.

"Don't you trust me?" Warren asked.

Seth hesitated before answering.

"With my life." Seth answered.

"Then I promise that I won't say a thing about this conversation to anyone." Warren said.

"Can you help me get there?" Seth asked.

"I was wondering when you would finally ask." Warren said and walked over to the far side of the room.

Seth saw him grab a duffel bag.

"You can hide out in here." Warren said.

Todd laughed.

"You're kidding me, right?" Seth asked.

"It has an extra dimensional space in here that allows you to fit in here without getting hurt and getting motion sickness. You also won't feel a thing if you get dropped." Warren smiled.

"Are you serious?" Seth asked.

"After all the magical things you've seen, you act like this is the most amazing thing ever." Warren noted.

"Whatever." Todd said.

Warren smiled.

"I'm not sneaking away." Seth said firmly. He wanted to believe Warren, but he didn't want this to be a trap.

"Fine Seth. If you change your mind, the duffel bag will be in the kitchen on the table. We're leaving in the morning." Warren said.

Seth nodded and walked out.

"Todd!" Kendra shouted.

"What?" Seth yelled back.

Kendra was yelling at Seth through the attic window.

"Tell Warren to get inside! Dinner's ready!" Kendra shouted.

"Okay." Seth answered.

Kendra saw Seth go and tell Warren, but for some reason, the rest of the night, Seth was absent from both dinner and the next morning, even though he was asleep in his bed the previous night.

**. . .**

**Looking for a co-author/beta reader or  
just someone who can help me update this  
fic quicker. I'd appreciate it. Please? Anyone?  
REVIEW! **

**XOXO_*OOTF!**


	6. Unicorn's Horn

**A/N: **OKAY, so thanks to my awesomely awesome new co-author Black Moon Falling, this  
fic is going to be awesomer. And many thanks to my new beta SarcasticProcrastinator-AMLF.  
And THANK YOU for the wonderful idea, **Katpryde** of keeping Gavin as Navarog to have a romance between and evil dragon and Kendra. Because it sounds hot. And the more reviews I get,  
the faster I update! So thank you my faithful reviewers! And SOO Sorry for the whole Seth/Todd thing,  
my beta will fix that I think. Haha. I'm babbling…just read my chapter!

Wait! For early updates and a look at what's going to happen next, go check out my Blog or my LiveJournal. On my profile. Thanks! NOW you can read.

**. . .**

Seth was woken early the next morning by a voice in his head.

_Come to me Seth. This cannot wait._

It was Graulus. Seth just knew it was. He glanced at the clock.

1:23 A.M.

He decided to get up anyway. He slipped on his socks and shoes and walked out of his room. He quietly slipped away into the night.

**. . .**

Seth got out of the house with little trouble, thanks to all his practice in sneaking out. When he got to the edge of the yard, he hesitated. Should he really be doing this? Acting on impulse before had led to trouble.

"Seth. Come to me."

Seth decided to listen. He crept through the forest as quietly and quickly as he could. Once he heard movement behind him, but he bolted, and whatever it was didn't give chase. Soon he found himself at the entrance to Graulas's lair.

He paused to catch his breath, the walked in without hesitation, trying to mask the fear he suddenly felt inside him.

It was pitch black. He heard the raspy, rattled voice he knew belonged to the demon.

"You came." It sighed, barely more than a whisper.

"Wasn't that the idea?" Seth asked, trying harder than ever to put up a brave front. "What do you want?"

"I think the question is what do you need."

Seth racked his brain. The first thing that came to mind was the horn... could he trust the demon with that information? He knew what Grandpa's- and everyone else's- answer would be- no. But they weren't here right now. He was. Did he trust the demon? No. But he needed this. Not just for him, but for them all.

"I need the first horn of a unicorn from the centaurs." He finally admitted.

"I know. And what do you plan to do about that?"

Seth stared. What did he plan to do? "Well, it's kind of tricky to get to." He finally said.

Graulas snorted. "For one of your status? How so?"

"My status?" Seth asked, completely shocked. His brave front fell momentarily.

Graulas laughed. "Tell me Seth, what guards the horn?"

Seth recounted all he could remember. "A Tauran maze, a mountain troll, huge boulders, and oh yeah, the entire centaur population of Fablehaven would kill me just for trying."

Graulas laughed. Not just a quick laugh- a long bout of laughter that riveted the entire domain.

"Seth. The boulders move. And what is the rest to a shadow charmer?"

Seth stared at the blackness where the voice came from. "Shadow charmer?"

Graulas sighed. "Seth, do you know not what the nail did to you? You are a friend of the darkness now. Why did you think you could hear the voices in the hall?" Graulas noticed Seth's reaction to the mention of the hall. "Yes, I know of it. Why can you hear me when I call to you? Why could you see shadows? Do you honestly think you are a mere human?"

"Umm... yes?"

"Seth. You are the only one who can do the deed you need done. Who can navigate a Tauran maze? One who can see it. Keep to the left. Who can get past a mountain troll? One who can befriend it. Make the situation a joke. And who can escape unnoticed? The one who can blend into the night. Go, get your prize dear boy. Chase what you think matters."

Seth was still. Him? He tried to keep in mind this could b a lie to send him to his doom. But it seemed too real. So true...

A few minutes later, Seth had decided he would take the risk. He was cradled in Hugo's arms at the moment, being transported to the entrance. Hugo had come looking for Seth of his own accord, and Seth convinced him to help.

Hugo set him down. For a moment, the moving boulders transfixed Seth. Then he snapped into action. They had just begun marching, if his watch was right. Seth instructed Hugo to go to the yard, then strode confidently into the maze.

It looked like a normal maze to him. High brick walls kept him from seeing the end destination. He felt bad for whoever tried to navigate it without seeing though. The turns were sharp and unpredictable. He stayed to the left as much as he could.

After fifteen minutes, Seth passed a banana tree. Inspiration struck, and he gathered one from the ground before turning the corner.

And he had thought the gobbling in his room was ugly! This monster was terrible in comparison, and as big as Seth's house back home almost twice over. He felt queasy.

The troll took notice of him to, and started to waddle over. Only then did he notice the cave entrance behind it- it ha been completely hidden by the enormous troll. Seth spoke as calmly as he could mange to it.

"Hey buddy. what's up?"

The troll looked surprised, looking at Seth with new eyes. "You speak?"

"Yeah! I'm Navarog. You want to help me with the ultimate prank?

Seth ran back as fast as he dared, the horn hidden under his shirt. The troll had bought it completely, even showing him a quicker way out. Seth hadn't realized what path he was on, though, with the secret exit, until he came upon Warren's cabin.

Which was no big deal... except Warren was outside, looking at him.

"Hi." Seth squeaked, terrified. Warren's eyes raked over Seth, catching the shape of the object under his shirt. He grinned, then threw a flat, long object at Seth.

Seth caught it instinctively. It was the knapsack.

He turned to Warren, a grin spreading over both their features.

***

Kendra left early the next morning with Warren, Tanu and her duffel bag. They were driving to a hotel near the airport so that they could meet with Dougan, Mara and Gavin.

"How much longer?" Kendra asked.

"About an hour or so." Warren replied.

"Ugh." Kendra said.

"You're beginning to sound a bit like Seth." Warren said.

Kendra rolled her eyes.

"How long will the flight be to Northern Canada?" Kendra asked.

"I thought we were flying to China. Why would we be flying to Northern Canada?" Tanu said.

"China is where the preserve is. The key to it is in the dragon sanctuary." Kendra said.

"There are seven sanctuaries, Kendra." Warren said.

"Oh." Kendra said.

"So the dragon sanctuary you're talking about is the one in Canada. It's one of the three closed off from human visitors." Warren said.

"We'll need to get the key to get into the sanctuary." Tanu said.

"A key?" Kendra asked.

"The first horn of a unicorn." Warren said.

"How are we supposed to get that? Those are extremely rare." Tanu said.

"Don't worry." Warren smiled. "I've got it covered."

**. . .**

Kendra, Warren and Tanu met up with Dougan, Mara and Gavin in the hotel. They walked up the stairs into Kendra and Mara's room and decided to talk about what they were going up against.

"You should have told us soon, Warren." Dougan said.

"Yes, but it wouldn't have mattered if we didn't have the key to the fifth preserve." Warren countered.

"Well you should have told The Knights of Dawn anyway." Dougan said.

"But you guys would have discussed it openly and some of the Knights are traitors! They could slip information to the Sphinx!" Warren said.

"How about we discuss how we're going to get to the Dragon Sanctuary?" Kendra suggested, getting in between the two men.

They both looked at her and nodded.

"We need the key." Dougan said.

"I've got it covered." Warren said again.

Dougan looked at Warren suspiciously, but didn't push it.

"Alright. How many dragon tamers do we have?" Dougan asked.

"Me." Gavin said automatically.

"And me." Mara said.

"Um, I can talk to Dragons, but I don't think I can do anything else." Kendra said.

"Alright." Dougan nodded.

Gavin looked over at Kendra.

"I d-d-don't think Kendra s-s-should g-go." Gavin said.

"Why not?" Kendra asked, her expression hardened. She couldn't believe that Gavin just said that he didn't want her to go. Was it because she was a girl? No, because Mara was going. Did he like Mara more than her?

"Because I d-d-don't w-want you to get h-hurt." Gavin said.

Kendra's expression softened a bit. He cared about her.

"But I _have_ to go." Kendra replied.

"W-why?" Gavin asked.

"Because the way to the sanctuary is covered with distracter spells and Kendra is the only person who won't be affected by it." Warren stepped in.

Gavin raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, r-r-really now? And how is t-t-that p-possible?" He asked.

"That's a private matter, not for us to discuss in a public area where anyone can overhear us." Kendra said, trying to sound serious.

"I see." Gavin said.

Kendra looked at the ground.

Dougan looked at the two and shrugged.

"How about we get some shut eye, now? We have a big day ahead of us." He said.

And with that, they all went back to their rooms to restore their energy.

After all, a day of dragons galore wasn't exactly what most of them wanted, but they all knew they had to go.

**. . .**

**Again, I would like to thank my totally co-author to this story **Black Moon Falling **because I would  
NOT have been able to finish this without you!**

**XoXO_*OOTF!**


	7. The Mountains

**Hello to all the people! It's Black Moon Falling, and I'd like to first of all apologize for this being late. And of course, I'd like to thank One of the Fallen for her amazing work and support! This is amazing because of you!  
&&Hey everyone! This is One of the Fallen. This story would never have been completed without the wonderful help of my super amazing co-author Black Moon Falling! So thanks so much, because your an amazing writer!!! Also, thanks for all of the reviews, we love them (:**

**Warning: **Some things in this story are changed around a bit, just so that we can make a few things fit into the story better.

*

She lay on her side, legs bent and unmoving. Her arms were on either side of her, helplessly pinned to the ground by the sheer force of gravity, a power she had always underestimated before this.

She struggled to breath, barely controlling the unsteady air that came in and out of her mouth.

The world around her was astounding- snowy blankets covering the needles of the pine trees, consuming everything in view. Perfectly formed crystals of ice fell from the sky lightly, like they only fell in movies or novels.

She seemed perfectly in place with the scene.

There was something picturesque about the way she lay- her blood had stained the snow surrounding her helpless body in an almost natural way, the snow greedily drinking in the liquid and in turn blossoming a bright red.

The snow accumulated in her blond hair, paling it with its un-melting whiteness. Her lips were almost blue with the cold, but she didn't notice.

Yes, the scene was beautiful, in its own tragic way. The struggle between life and death, as well as the beauty of nature all portrayed in one portrait.

A way off from her was a bag, caught between the trees and rocks. The howling wind was all the noise that entered the opening.

Mere feet away from her barrier of bloodied snow lay a multi-colored, transparent wall of sorts, and as snow fell on one side, on its opposite flowers blossomed as if in spring.

She took one more struggle for air before closing her lips and closing her eyes, surrendering to the gash across her side.

And she felt death creep in, without the energy to fight it off.

*

_Five hours earlier_ _  
_

*

Kendra and the rest of the gang started hiking through the mountains where a helicopter dropped them off. She looked around at the bright blue sky and its' white clouds, almost indistinguishable against the snow-topped mountain peaks. The distraction spell that was placed upon the dragon sanctuary must have been pretty strong because she noticed that Gavin and everyone else had started to fall a little behind even though Kendra could hardly see the sparkling golden gate against the mountainous backdrop.

"K-kendra," a voice spoke.

"Yeah?" she asked, not needing to turn around to see who had spoken. She would know that voice anywhere.

"Could you s-s-slow down j-just a b-b-bit? The s-spell is sort of s-s-trong and i-it's getting harder to k-keep up with y-you," Gavin whispered faintly.

Kendra looked over at him.

"I suppose I could, but Dougan wants us to be there in..." Kendra glanced down at Gavin's watch, "about an hour, and it'll probably take us a little longer than that to get there."

Gavin nodded solemnly.

"I wish that I w-w-was as strong m-m-minded as y-you, Kendra," Gavin said to her.

Kendra could feel the heat rushing to her face as a faint smile played on her lips.

"I'm not as 'strong-minded' as you think, Gavin," she replied.

Gavin just shook his head.

"That's what you think," he replied.

Kendra had the feeling that she didn't know what he was talking about and decided not to ask what he meant because she knew that she probably wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him.

The two walked in silence for a while before Kendra felt Gavin stiffen beside her.

She turned to him.

"Is something wrong?"

Without giving her an answer, Gavin collapsed onto his knees, soon followed by Warren and the other members of their company. Kendra glanced around, worried.

"What's wrong?" she shouted, panic rising in her voice.

With obvious effort, Warren faced her.

"The distractor spell is...it's too strong," he whispered.

Kendra quickly scavenged through their belongings, searching for the knapsack.

There!

She quickly grabbed it and without a second thought, she shoved Gavin inside.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" his small voice came from somewhere inside.

Kendra shook off his question and forced the others into the knapsack, knowing that none of them would be able to resist the spell.

_The sooner we get there, the better chance we'll have of beating the Sphinx,_ Kendra though optimistically.

She picked up the knapsack and started to walk a little faster.

Even though it should have been almost noon, the sky seemed to be getting darker around her. She could hear her ragged breathing and her footsteps against the soft snow, but she also heard something else.

Something that shouldn't have been there.

She heard a branch snap in half no far from where she was.

Kendra whirled around, but she saw nothing.

She let our a breath of relief.

_Get control over yourself! It's just nerves, _she convinced herself.

But that was when she started to hear the breath of another person. No -- another _creature_.

Kendra scanned the area around her, seeing only the tall, green pine trees and the white landscape under a white snowfall. She heard another branch snap behind her and she whirled around again, this time coming face to face with what she could only describe as a wild beast.

The last thing she knew, the knapsack containing all of her companions was being ripped from her grasp and a piercing shriek that must have been hers shattering the silence of the mountain air.

And then the world was dark.

*

**What'd you think? ****Hope it's enough to keep you coming back for more!  
Reviews are the best gift -- other than pancakes -- that a writer can receive. So give, give, give!!!**


	8. A Kiss

Sorry for the long wait, but here's another amazing chapter!

**;-;**

Kendra came back to consciousness in four different phases.

Phase one- the pain. A sharp, stabbing pain in her stomach. It was without reserves the worst she had ever felt.

Phase two- the memories came back to her slowly. She remembered walking, and being attacked by something. She remembered a vivid red of her blood, when the adrenaline had kept her from feeling the pain. Said pain progressed past the stage she thought was the worst, reaching new limits.

Phase three- she heard hushed voices whispering in the room. She didn't try to make them out. By now, the pain was barely containable. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from screaming and flailing. With every beat of her heart, it spread, feeding off of her bloodstream and growing. She felt like someone had ripped her open and poured acid into her bloodstream, and never stopped pouring.

Phase four- through her eyelids she saw a reddish glow of light. Her senses were in hyper drive. She heard an unfamiliar voice, Gavin, and Warren in the background. She felt clean sheets on top of her and breathed in fresh, cool air. But by then she was past caring. If she had thought the pain was bad before, it was pure, unabridged torture now. It was everywhere. She could barely distinguish from where she had been sliced open from where she hadn't been touched. She was burning, drowning in a lake of acid, being slowly devoured by sharp teeth, being ripped apart... all at once. The thin sheet on top of her felt like the weight of the world, and if she could've remembered through the pain how to move, she would've screamed. She would've kicked and flailed. But the pain held her prisoner- striking her unable to do anything other than waste away.

"There she is." The unfamiliar voice said. It sounded as if from miles away.

"She's awake?" She heard Warren ask, sounding dubious.

"Yes. Unable to move, doubtless, but conscious. Poor thing," The voice said.

"How bad is it?" Gavin asked. She focused her mind on the conversation, trying to distract herself.

It didn't work.

"Unbelievable. Like nothing else. Harpies, dragon venom, demon spit, nothing imaginable. Nasty creatures."

She decided that the unfamiliar voice sounded much older than Warren, by a good many decades at least. It had a faint hint of a man who had carried the burden of the world on his shoulders, a faint, haunting sound. But besides that, he also sounded like she would expect a sage to.

"This should help." The voice in question said. She felt a prick on top of all the pain, and from that point on her arm it started to dull away. Like injecting ice water into the flesh of a burning corpse.

When it faded, she realized that no matter how she tried, she couldn't explain it. It had been so strong then... but now, the only thing left was a haunting feeling. She couldn't remember quite what it had been like, or recapture the feeling.

Not that she wanted to.

In relief, she opened her eyes to be greeted by three anxious faces. Warren and Gavin looked worried for her, relieved that she had woken up, and guilty. But the face she didn't recognize looked... almost pleased.

It was a worn face, pocket-marked and so lined with age that she would've mistaken him for a pale corpse. His gray hair and beard reminded her of a wizards.

"Hello my dear. How are you feeling?" The old man asked eagerly.

"Much... better. What happened? Who are you?" She asked, firing the questions in rapid succession of one another.

"First things first. Does any pain remain?" He asked. She scowled slightly as he sidestepped her questions, but shook her head.

"Good. I'm afraid that it won't be the last time. The poison in still in your system, and no amount of magic will change that. It feeds onto your bloodstream, literally becoming one with you. To expel it would be to destroy whatever it was latched on to.

"Like radiation for cancer." She murmured. He hadn't appeared to have heard her, but Gavin, standing next to her, nodded. He was intently watching her face.

"The pain will come in random bouts. As well as some other effects: twitching, seizing, things of that nature."

Kendra had barely heard what he had said after he announced the pain would come back. She felt the blood rush from her face in fear. Gavin grabbed her hand comfortingly, sitting on the edge of her bed. She squeezed his back half heartedly, her mind racing.

"Unfortunately there's nothing to be done about it. As your system generates more blood, the good will replace the bad. The poison will slowly die within you Of course, it will take months before it;s all gone from your bloodstream, and from the organs... I can't promise that you'll ever recover fully."

She felt numb, as if the pain had seared away her sense receptors.

"I'll... never recover?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

"That can't be right." Warren interrupted. "There has to be a way."

Agad smiled grimly. "As I said, there's no telling. But with blood transfusion and other operations, it might eventually completely wear away. You only need one kidney, and your liver can regenerate. And given time, your body will heal itself. But there are other... more lasting effects. The poison is very magical. It very well might leave some of that behind in you," He said, his face stern.

"That is, if you ever make it out of here."

"We can't stay here long. We'll have to keep you in the knapsack while you recover," Warren said, almost apologetic.

"No." Kendra said immediately. "I'm not sitting around while you put yourselves in danger." She said adamantly.

"K-kendra-" Gavin began.

Agad cut in. "She's right. If you keep her there, it won't stop the effects. But when they come, she'll have no help. It could very well kill her. And besides that, for her body to fight the poison, it needs all the help it can get. And by that, I mean that musty, stagnant air wouldn't help anybody."

"I'll leave you with a potion to stop the pain, but she won't be able to administer it to herself." He said finally, leaving the room with a flourish.

"That was dramatic." Warren muttered.

Gavin helped her sit up. She had on the same clothes as before, but the shirt was new. She realized with a shock that it was the one Gavin had been wearing earlier. Looking at him, he shrugged.

"I packed extra."

**;-;**

Everyone had left Kendra alone in the infirmary so that she could get some rest. It was going to be a big day tomorrow, and she was definitely going to need all the rest that she could get, but she could hardly sleep. She lay in her bed, tossing an turning; trying to find herself a comfortable position in which to drift off to dreamland.

That's when she heard soft footsteps by the door of the infirmary. She heard the door slide open slightly. She saw the shadowy figure looming closer to her in the dimly moonlit room. She sucked in a breath of air and tried to pretend to be asleep. Who would come to her at this hour? Was someone trying to kill her? What was going on? Questions ran through her mind in a never ending circle until the person crept up to her bedside. She knew what she was going to do: once the person grabbed her, she would punch them in the face, surely they wouldn't be expecting that.

The person grabbed her arm; she twisted around and punched them in the face; she didn't bother looking to see who it was.

"Ouch!" she heard a familiar voice cry out as the figure crumple to the floor.

She leaned over the bedside and glanced at the person.

"Gavin?" she whispered.

"Ugh," he replied, trying to get up. "Who knew a g-g-girl like you c-c-ould pack such a p-punch?"

Kendra laughed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Gavin looked at her face; only then did she see the distraught in them.

"Oh, Gavin, what's wrong?" she inquired.

"I just...K-kendra, I think that you should stay in t-t-the knapsack," Gavin stuttered.

Kendra gave a great sigh.

"I don't want to feel like a 'damsel in distress' kind of girl, you know?" Kendra told him. "I don't want to feel like I've got nothing left to give this team and I don't want to feel like that anymore."

"Kendra, you've given plenty to this team," Gavin said.

"Yeah, right. Remember when we were on Lost Mesa? Remember how I couldn't do _anything_ to help? I hate feeling like that; like I can't help anyone. That's why I don't want to stay in the knapsack, alright? I don't want to go in there," Kendra told him.

Gavin sighed heavily.

"Alright, seeing as there is no changing your mind, I'll go now," Gavin replied, "But first..."

Gavin leaned in to kiss her; it was something that she wasn't expecting. He kissed her gently on the lips, and to her, it felt like the ghost of a kiss.

"What was that for?" Kendra asked, barely able to find her voice.

"For good luck," Gavin winked. Kendra watched him as he turned to slip away and steal into the night, acting as if he'd never been there in the first place. There was only one thing left on her mind:

Did that mean he liked her?

**;-;**

We like reviews :D


End file.
